


Stories of the Second Self: Green Revolution

by John_Steiner



Series: Alter Idem [50]
Category: Urban Fantasy - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:34:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22534054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner
Summary: Walter and Laura weren't your average "mixed" couple. They crossed the Alter Idem pentagram of social opposition, because he was a Fae elder and she a werewolf. They go to the abandoned outskirts of Cincinnati where Laura shows Walter a new community that wants to live with all differences set aside. However, Walter is alarmed at who leads the group.
Series: Alter Idem [50]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813





	Stories of the Second Self: Green Revolution

"I thought this part of the city was abandoned," Walter remarked, staring up and the foliage-engulfed tower.

"By normal people, yes," Laura answered.

Walter started showing a few weeks ago, just as Laura had, except while Walter became a Fae she turned into a werewolf. He'd never seen her transform before, but her rich red hair line reached down the back and sides of her neck now.

They'd been dating almost a year, when one day she up and ran off. Walter thought she'd dumped him without so much as a goodbye letter, until she came back a month later to reveal what happened. She feared he'd reject her.

So when Walter's Fae features emerged, he wasn't so surprised when she stuck by him. Though, seeing a rise of solid rock in the northern part of Cincinnati shocked him.

"There was never a cliff like this here before," Walter said, "How'd it just spring up like this?"

"Peopled changed with Alter Idem, right?" she asked, looking back while leading him by the hand. "Why not nature too?"

"Still not sure Alter Idem isn't aliens messin' with us," Walter suggested.

"Are you complaining?" Laura asked, and turned to stop him with a full embrace with her enchanted expression reserved only for him.

"Guess not," Walter answered, wrapped her up in his arms. "Not having to wear shoes and I get a leg up in learning magic. What's not to like. Though, what's this place really about?"

"There are people I want you to meet," Laura hinted, "This is where I went once I realized what I was turning into."

"Are there other werewolves here?" Walter wondered.

"Not just," Laura replied, and resumed leading him up to the doorway he could barely make out from the dense growth.

"This way," she whispered, and pulled him through the dense, yet soft branches that all but filled the door.

She and Walter came to a stairwell that was itself crusted in earth and small green sprouts. Together, they ascended to the next floor, where other Fae caught Walter's attention first. There were a couple of angels along with more werewolves.

"Anyone else I should know about?" Walter asked.

"Hey everybody, this is Walter, my fiance," Laura introduced.

Walter waved as the others gave him their names. Much like spells, Walter had a good memory for names and people. Laura led him up a couple more stories, and to one corner of the floor where there were no windows that hadn't been completely grown over. The entire room was dark, though Walter could make out three people.

"Lindsay, Austin, Mason, this is my fiance, Walter," Laura again introduced.

"Wait," Walter noticed, "Those two are vampires, right?"

"Is that gonna be a problem?" the guy named Austin challenged.

"No, just... well, I don't know," Walter denied, and then confessed.

"Hey, dude," the bigger guy named Mason addressed him, "I've been traveling with these two for a couple years now. They ain't killed me yet."

"Seriously, Laura," Walter turned to her, "Why are you all in this place?"

"That's what else I want to show you," she hinted, and pulled him on while calling over her shoulder, "Catch you guys later."

Ever upward, Laura took Walter to the roof. Tree and shrub growth was denser than anywhere, and Laura called out, "Yasmin, you up here?"

"Over here," another woman's voice called out.

Laura traced from exactly where, and brought Walter to the only human he'd seen in the place. "This is Walter, who I told you about."

The woman wearing soft robes of light fabric stood and turned around. At her feet, Walter saw that she was drawing glyphs of power. He'd learned a few himself, but these were much more sophisticated.

"Ah, Walter." she couldn't have been more than twenty years old, yet she exuded an authority that belied her light voice one might expect of a high school girl. "I'm told you practice."

"Magic, you mean?" Walter confirmed, and then nodded while looking around. "Yeah, I've been picking up a few things here and there."

"How are you with making things grow?" Yasmin asked.

"Never tried that, actually," Walter made a face, wondering why that never occurred to him. "Don't suppose you know those spells."

"I'm the reason for this place," Yasmin presented the surroundings with her hands. "We have a chance to create a balance with nature."

"Oh no," Walter stepped back, and looked to Laura. "These are those people from Columbus who tried to purge everything they declared unnatural. Laura, they attacked a bunch of people who didn't get with their cult. That included all werewolves."

"That was Ladonna's purpose," Yasmin admitted, "But after the National Guard retook the city, I realized she was wrong and fled her group. I'm not like her. I don't hate werewolves or even vampires."

"Yeah, I saw those two down there," Walter said, and then took note of her enchanted glyphs. "These work on stone too?"

"That's why there's a rock formation here now," Yasmin said.

Now Walter knew he wanted to stay. Yasmin could teach him so much, and Laura already had made connections here. Originally, Walter wanted to set up a sort of magic business like he saw spring up in Silverton or Fairfax, but now he realized he was thinking small.

"What do you think?" Laura asked, throwing her arms around him again.

"If you want it, I wanted it," Walter accepted, though in his mind Yasmin's power was the greater reason for him staying.


End file.
